Smart Commodities UK Editor Garry White says two things are vital for Britain to be able to power itself in 2015. Firstly, despite environmentalist concerns, more coal stations are needed in the short term. Secondly, British Energy (LON:BGY) must be sold to Electricite de France SA (EPA:EDF), which would provide the expertise for an efficient nuclear powered energy system…

Fleet Street Daily editor Ben Traynor says more and more analysts are predicting a “calamitous” breach of 5000 for Britain’s FTSE100 benchmark index. Ben says the stock market slump means it is a good time to increase your holdings of cash…

Sara Nunnally says oil is having a major influence in Britain and Dubai, and creating new investment opportunities in both. One is running out of supplies, the other can’t spend its income fast enough. In Britain, this has prompted a new round of exploration permits, with Egdon Resources (LON:EDR) leading the chase. Meanwhile, Dubai’s venture into the luxury international hotel market could see considerable expansion in the sector. More from Sara…

Across the pond, Fleet Street Daily’s Ben Traynor says the Bank of England has about as much idea as the rest of us when it comes to the current economic crisis. Worse still, Ben says embattled British prime minister Gordon Brown could do even more damage to the economy as he seeks a short-term reprieve in opinion polls by targeting major oil companies.

There’s a merger boom going on right now, but amid all the gloom, no one’s really paying much attention.

The Misery Index is set to make a comeback in Britain. It’s a fair bet that only those of you who remember the 1990s recession will have much idea of what I’m talking about, because that was the last time anyone spent any time discussing it. So what is it?

The British pound fell to a 22-month low, after the Bank of England (BOE) offered a gloomy outlook for the U.K. economy and the chance of an interest rate cut increased.

There’s been plenty of gloomy news on the UK economy in the past month, from grim data on house prices (down 8.8% in the past year, says Halifax) to miserable surveys in manufacturing and the service sector. But how is all this grim data affecting real companies?

British banks and their shareholders are having a tough old time of it. But their woes have made at least one person an awful lot richer.

15% per year is a good rate of return. Actually 10% per year is a good rate of return. But 15.2%, to be exact, is the annual increase in net asset value achieved by B.P. Marsh & Partners (LON:BPM) since 1990.